“Blyat.”
I tighten my grip on Clara, determined to keep her safe.
But at this rate, none of us is making it out unscathed.
20
Leonid
Six lanes of traffic, and somehow thesesukasstill find us. The black SUV edges closer, inch by fucking inch, until—
“Blyat,” the word slips out before I can stop it.
Clara’s head snaps up. “What?”
But she sees it too—my own face staring back at us through the tinted window. Ludis’s lips curl into that familiar grin, the one that always meant blood was about to spill.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Clara mutters.
The SUV edges closer. Ludis rolls down his window, silver Desert Eagle glinting in the sunlight. “Miss me,brat?”
“Maksim.” One word. He knows what it means.
“On it, boss.”
Clara’s nails dig into my thigh as Maksim cuts across three lanes. Horns blare. Brakes screech. A semi swerves, its horn blasting like an air-raid siren.
“Pull over!” Ludis’s voice carries over the chaos. “Or I’ll make sure your pretty littlesukagets a bullet first!”
I feel Clara’s whole body go rigid. “Pretty little— Oh, I’m going to enjoy shooting him.”
“Not if I shoot him first.”
“You had your chance.” She twists in her seat, eyes locked on the side mirror. “When were you planning to mention the evil twin?”
A bullet pings off the door. Clara doesn’t flinch.
“Busy day.” I grab her shoulder as Maksim swerves again. “Shopping. Car chase. Family drama.”
“Cute.” She shoves my hand off. “Your brother’s a better shot than you.”
Another bullet hits the window. The bulletproof glass holds, but spiderwebs crack across it.
“Takes practice,” I tell her. “Shooting your own reflection.”
She laughs. “Poor baby. Must be hard, having an evil twin trying to kill you.” She pauses. “Though looking at your face, I get the urge.”
“Poshol na khuy!”Maksim curses. Red and blue lights flash behind us. Perfect. Now we have cops to deal with.
“Options?” Clara asks, all business now.
“Working on it.”
“Work faster.” She points ahead. “They’re setting up a roadblock.”
Sure enough, police cars stretch across the highway like a metal wall. Ludis’s SUV pulls even with us again, boxing us in.
“Maksim…”
